Public Hospital Waiting Lists and the Role of the National Treatment Purchase Fund
Access to public hospital care is a key challenge for the Irish State. Between the end of 2014 and July 2017, the number of people waiting more than 3 months for elective surgery grew from 37,000 to 58,000. In mid-2017 the recommencement of activity by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) began to impact and, by November 2018, the number waiting more than 3 months had reduced to 42,000. The NTPF arranges healthcare for long waiting patients and is the State body responsible for the collection and validation of waiting list information. In this presentation, Liam Sloyan, Chief Executive of the NTPF, will discuss the challenges facing the State in arranging access to elective hospital care for its citizens, set out the recent progress being made in relation to those waiting for surgery and talk about how the State can build upon that progress.
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Liam is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and has an MSc in Mathematics and Statistics. He commenced his career in New Ireland Assurance and Bank of Ireland Life before joining the State sector in 2002. Liam is an experienced public servant and chief executive, having led state agencies since 2006. During this time, he has been Chief Executive of the Health Insurance Authority, Regulator of the National Lottery and, since May 2017, Chief Executive of the National Treatment Purchase Fund. He has played a lead role in the introduction of Risk Equalisation in Ireland, in establishing Lottery Regulation and in the reactivation of treatment purchasing in the NTPF and subsequent reduction of wait times for elective surgery.